1. Field of the Invention
Apparatuses and methods consistent with the present invention relate to displaying a multiview autostereoscopic image, and more particularly, to displaying a multiview autostereoscopic image in which reduction of resolution occurring when a multiview image is displayed is improved by increasing the number of images that are perceived by a viewer so that the number of the perceived images can be greater than the number of images that are displayed on a display panel.
2. Description of the Related Art
One of the methods of providing an autostereoscopic image is a binocular disparity method in which the viewing zones of a left eye image and a right eye image of a stereopair are separated in order to make each of the left eye and the right eye of a viewer see a different image, thereby providing a 3-dimensional (3D) image. Since an apparatus, for viewing such a 3-D image, provides only an image of two viewpoints, the area that can be viewed by a viewer is very limited. Accordingly, when the head of the viewer moves, the left image and the right image become switched, thereby causing inconvenience in viewing the 3D image.
As a method of expanding the viewable area of a viewer and allowing the viewer to see an autostereoscopic image even when the head of the viewer moves, a method of spatially or temporally sequentially displaying plane images, which are seen from a plurality of viewpoints, on a display device can be performed. According to this method, multiview images, which are space or time multiplexed and displayed on a display device, are made to form an independent viewing zone. When the eyes of the viewer move, the eyes are made to see a viewing zone based on another image seen from another viewpoint, thereby allowing 3D image recognition.
FIG. 1A is a schematic diagram illustrating a structure of a related art autostereoscopic display apparatus 10 for displaying a multiview autostereoscopic image, and FIG. 1B is a diagram illustrating a composition in which image data units are spatially separated and displayed on a display panel 30 illustrated in FIG. 1A according to related art technology.
Referring to FIG. 1A, the related art autostereoscopic display apparatus 10 includes a light source unit 20 formed with first through sixth point light sources 21 through 26, and the display panel 30 spatially dividing and displaying images of multiple viewpoints. The display panel 30 is formed by first through sixth small cells 31 through 36. An image of multiple viewpoints is spatially divided and displayed on each small cell 31 through 36. Referring to FIG. 1B, for example, if it is assumed that first through fifth viewing zone images (a, b, c, d, e) are each formed with six pixel data units, the first pixel data unit of each viewing zone image is displayed in the first small cell 31. Likewise, the second through sixth pixel data units of each viewing zone image are displayed in the second through sixth small cells, respectively. Accordingly, the light in each of the first through sixth point light sources 21 through 26, displays image information displayed by each small cell 31 through 36 in a separate viewing zone. As a result, the viewer sees a different viewpoint image according to a viewing zone, thereby recognizing a 3D image.
Since this structure spatially divides and uses the pixels of a display panel, the resolution of the structure is one fifth of the resolution of the panel. As the number of viewpoints increases, reduction in the resolution decreases equally. In order to improve this problem, a method of temporally and sequentially displaying images of multiple viewpoints on a display panel in order to maintain the resolution of the panel without change can be utilized. However, for this method, a high-speed response display panel is required.